SAN JOSE — A man was found dead Monday night in the parking lot of a home-improvement store across the street from the previous headquarters of the San Jose Mercury News, and police believe he was the victim of a homicide.

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Officers and emergency personnel were called at 10:37 p.m. to the Lowe’s parking lot in the 700 block of Ridder Park Drive, after a passerby found an unresponsive man lying next to a vehicle, Officer Albert Morales said.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, and he had visible injuries suggesting he was killed, Morales said. The San Jose Police Department’s homicide unit was dispatched to the site for what appears to be the city’s 38th homicide of the year. The city recorded 30 homicides in all of 2015.

The victim’s identity and the circumstances of the killing were not immediately clear Tuesday, pending an examination and investigation by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.

A Pontiac Aztec was examined on site and towed from the parking lot. Police said they believe the man was homeless, which would make the death the ninth homicide of the year involving a homeless victim.

Police did not report any prior disturbance calls in the area prior to the discovery of the man.

Anyone with information about the case can contact the SJPD homicide unit at 408-277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or with svcrimestoppers.org.

Robert Salonga is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering criminal justice and public safety for The Mercury News. A San Jose native, he attended UCLA and has a Master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He previously reported in Washington, D.C., Salinas and the East Bay, and is a middling triathlete. Reach him the low-tech way at 408-920-5002.

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